[Photo: Praneeta Prakash]

The National Federation Party has directed all its Members of Parliament to vote against Constitution Amendment Bill No. 32 of 2026, citing serious concerns over the rushed consultation process and lack of public participation.

NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad says the decision was made by the party’s Management Board and endorsed by its Working Committee.

Prasad confirms that he wrote to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka on Thursday, urging the People’s Alliance Party to withdraw the Bill from Parliament’s consideration on Monday.

He says the NFP initially supported the Bill’s second reading on October 2 in good faith, believing proper scrutiny, meaningful consultations and negotiations could lead to common ground.

However, Prasad says the consultation process failed to address the party’s concerns, particularly the limited time given to Fijians to understand and make submissions on the proposed changes.

He argues that many citizens have barely had time to read the draft, which has not been translated into vernacular languages.

Prasad also raised concerns about restrictions on public submissions, the lack of interaction between committee members and submitters, and the exclusion of opposition parties from the initial stages of the review.

He says the 19-day consultation and reporting timeline is inadequate for such significant constitutional changes.

The NFP Leader maintains there is no compelling reason to complete reform before the next General Election, arguing the process should continue afterwards with proper parliamentary scrutiny and an informed referendum.

Prasad stresses that while the NFP remains committed to constitutional reform and its coalition partnership, it will not compromise its principles.

He warns that replacing one constitution perceived to have been imposed with another that creates the same perception would undermine the credibility of the process.

Prasad announced he will no longer participate in the Special Parliamentary Committee reviewing the Bill and will not sign its report scheduled for Parliament next week.

He says the NFP has exhausted all avenues to convince the Prime Minister and committee to extend the consultation timeline.

Despite the disagreement, Prasad maintains the party remains committed to constructive engagement with coalition partners, stressing constitutional legitimacy must not be sacrificed for political expediency.